Conan Cooper
by FeliciaFelicis
Summary: After four years away from Santa Carla, Conan Cooper is finally returning home. Back to her friends, back to the Boardwalk, and back to her Dad. But what she doesn't realise is that everyone she loves has changed, and change isn't always good.
1. Prologue

**I don't own The Lost Boys... But GOD do I wish I did...**

**sorry for any mistakes, spelling/punctuation.**

**Let me know your thoughts...**

**Also... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE MCCARTER... 3**

* * *

The screams filled the air as usual that night, the screams of teens on the rollercoaster's and other such rides that filled the Boardwalk.

But the screams that the four boys cherished the most, those of the people whose lives' they held in their hands, would come later. For the moment they were content to just stand around their bikes and scan the crowd.

To passersby, it looked like they were searching for a particular someone in the sea of people that passed them. And to a degree, they were. What the passersby didn't know was that they were searching for their next victims. Or Prey as they preferred to call them. When they had first changed, calling their food prey had made it easier for them to suck the life out of their meal. Now it was just a habit.

At this hour of the night, it was mainly the Teens, Runaways, couples on dates and Adults having a good time. The occasional parent with sleeping child would be seen heading home.

No sane parent would let their child still be awake at this late hour.

Marko spotted a group of three girls headed towards the Ice Cream parlor. He didn't need to point it out to his brothers though. They were already eyeing them up to. The girls giggled as they noticed they were being admired by the boys. Thinking it was their prettiness that was attracting them. How wrong they were. By all means, they _were_ pretty. But it was the way they were dressed. A little scruffy and showing too much skin. This group would be perfect. David had a feeling that they would not be missed. Even if there was a missing person's poster sign with their faces plastered on it, who would care? Everyone knew that if you made it onto the missing person wall, you were never coming back. Most people wondered why they bothered.

Dwayne, who did not seem interested in the three, continued to stare out at the ocean, occasionally glancing round in the hope of a prettier meal. He noticed a girl standing by herself. She was dressed up, no doubt waiting for a date, but she also looked a little sad. Apparently she had been stood up. He was just about to make his way over to her when he felt something bang into his leg. Looking down he saw that a girl, no older than four or maybe five was looking back up at him. Her blue eyes showed innocence and sweetness, her blonde hair scruffy and unkempt. As a human, Dwayne had always had a soft spot for kids. And as he looked down at this little one, the dateless girl, vanished from his mind. Without hesitation, he bent down to look at her at eye level.

"You lost little one?" He asked gently so as not to frighten her.

"Shelly knocked my hand and I let go of my balloon. Have you seen it?" She asked hopefully.

_"We'll be back soon Dwayne." _Paul spoke to him through their mind connection. From the corner of his eye he noticed that his 'brothers' had managed to pick up the girls and were already taking them to the beach.

"No, I haven't." At his reply, the girl looked sad.

"It was for my birthday. Momma bought it for me specially."

"Well we can get you another?"

"It was the only purple they had. Momma will know the difference. Stupid Shelly." Dwayne was amused at the unexpected anger in the girl's voice.

"Want to go find your Momma?" He asked her, thinking she, not to mention her mother, would be anxious to find each other. He was surprised however when she shook her head no.

"What do you want to do?" She looked around at her surroundings thoughtfully.

He noticed her eyes light up when they reached the Ice Cream Parlour.

"Ice cream?" She nodded enthusiastically.

He offered her his hand which she took without hesitation, and he led her over to the stand, joining the queue.

"So it's your birthday huh?"

"Tomorrow, but we don't come to the Boardwalk every day."

"How old?" He asked.

"Tomorrow I will be Six." She replied, holding up six fingers as if to prove the fact, quickly taking back possession of his hand when he had seen.

"Six huh? That's pretty old." She nodded seriously and tugged him down to her level to whisper in his ear as if to tell him a secret.

"It's ok though. Stinky Shelly will always be older." She whispered. She giggled as they reached the front of the queue.

"What'll it be?" The man behind the counter asked. Looking over the counter at her, she didn't need to think very long.

"Chocolate ice cream, with chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles please." Her smile lighting up her face as it showed the gaps where her baby teeth had fallen out. "In a tub if you have any?"

"You got it Sweet cheeks, anything for you?" He asked looking at Dwayne, the laughter evident in his voice.

He shook his head as way of a reply.

The man nodded and made up her order.

The girl took in her surroundings from her tiny height as the two waited.

She was a quiet type and he was ok with that. In fact he preferred it that way. Quiet kids were always his favorite.

After a few moments, the man arrived back with her order as Dwayne handed over the money.

"Thanks." He said before turning to walk back over to the bikes, still holding onto her hand.

"Thank you." His companion shouted over her shoulder a hint of chocolate ice cream already over her mouth.

He sat her on the railing placing his hands on either side of her to prevent her from falling and stood in front of her to watch as the amount of ice cream over her face amounted to the point where he wondered if any was actually going in her mouth.

She held the tub out in front of her, offering him some of the ice cream she seemed to love.

He simply shook his head in reply.

"But you bought it. You should have some."

"I bought it for you." As her cheeks flushed a little pink, he couldn't help but smile.

"And I'm offering you some. My Daddy says it's rude not to share."

"I don't have a spoon." He answered.

She simply gave her plastic spoon a look, and nonchalantly threw it over her shoulder.

"Neither do I." She smiled innocently and dipped her finger into the treat.

This time, when she offered the dessert to him, he didn't say anything. Instead, he too dipped a finger into the dessert, more than happy when she gave him a dazzling smile.

"Hey Dwayne." Marko said as he took the spot next to him. Paul and David not far behind leaned against their bikes, sending curious glances at the girl.

"Have you been bleeding?" She asked Marko curiously from her spot.

Marko shot her a Cheshire cat grin before answering. He didn't even bother to look at where she was pointing to the spots of crimson dotted on his top, "Just a little."

She offered him some of her ice cream to.

"Chocolate makes everything better."

Without having to be told twice, he dipped his finger into the half eaten dessert.

"Are these your friends to Dwayne?" She asked sitting up a little straighter to look over his shoulder at the other blondes.

"Yeah, more like brothers though."

"Would you like some of my ice cream?"

"Don't mind if I do Princess." Paul replied moving towards her.

"Who's your friend Dwayne?" David asked his voice smooth and calm as he moved the few steps forward to stand with them. A lot of people would have found his tone intimidating, but not the girl. Her smile simply brightened before she opened her mouth to introduce herself.

"CONAN." The girls head snapped to her left in the direction the voice had come from.

"Momma." She shouted back.

Dwayne thought it was a little odd that she hadn't jumped off the rail and ran towards the woman now standing with them.

"Conan, I've been looking all over for you." She said as she picked the girl up and placed her back on the ground. "What have I told you about going off with strangers?"

"But Momma, they're not strangers. That's Dwayne, and that's..." She watched Dwayne's mouth carefully as he mouthed to her the names of his brothers as she pointed them out to her mother.

"David... Paul...and Marko." She smiled looking pleased with herself.

"Have you been eating Ice Cream?" The older woman asked as she lowered her daughter onto the floor.

"It was just one Momma." She mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"Go and stand with your sister." The woman pointed behind her at a girl ten feet away. "And share your Ice Cream with her."

Conan didn't look to happy to told to share her treat with her sister but moved towards her anyway, mumbling as she did so, "Half sister."

Her Mother turned her eyes back to the four boys in front of her as her daughter reached her half sister.

"Do you really think it's appropriate to be giving a child Ice Cream this late at night? Now she'll be awake till dawn." She scolded them.

Her face was flush, and dotted with freckles. The anger evident by the way her blue eyes that her daughter had inherited sparkled.

"With all due respect Ma'am," Dwayne started, and the other three inched forward, keen to hear what their brother was going to say. It wasn't often that he spoke. But when he did, he always spoke wisdom.

Wether it was making a point, or giving advice, He was the best.

"If she hadn't been out this late, she wouldn't have been eating ice cream." He finished. He didn't need to elaborate; she knew exactly what he was insinuating.

The Mother opened her mouth, looking a little insulted and lost for words, but it quickly closed again when Conan's voice shouted from ten feet away.

"You want the Ice Cream? Have the Ice Cream." And with that she poured the now almost completely melted treat over her sister's head.

"CONAN." Her Mother shouted. Conan turned and tried to give her an innocent look while the half sister stood rooted to the spot, her mouth wide open in shock. But seeing as all five of them, not to mention at least twenty other people had just witnessed the scene she wasn't fooling anybody.

"We are going home right now young lady." Her Mother said as she stormed over to the two girls, taking one of their arms in each of her hands. "Don't worry Shelly, I won't let that stain."

As the four brothers laughed; Paul and Marko almost rolling around on the floor, David chuckling quietly and Dwayne smirking, Conan turned her head back to face them, still being dragged and nagged at by her Mother.

She waved to them, a sad smile on her face.

The four of them waved back, hoping that they would see her again soon.

From the corner of his eye, Dwayne spotted something purple floating in the sky.

* * *

"Conan. Conan sweetie wake up." Her mother was gently shaking her shoulder, bringing her away from the dream she was having, back in to boring reality.

"Happy Birthday Sweet pea." Her parent's chorused together when her eyes were finally wide awake.

Shelly of course had refused to join in the celebrations, but that would change later when the time came to cut the cake.

"Thanks Momma." The girl yawned before rubbing more sleep from her blue orbs.

"We'll be downstairs baby. Wash up." Her Dad added, as he ruffled her blonde hair.

"Ok." She nodded. "Thank you Daddy." Both parents turned and evacuated the room. Conan desperately wanted to shut her eyes again and disappear into the dream she had been having.

She had met four boys, who had been kind to her, so kind; she had even shared her ice cream with them.

She sat up now, her hair a wild mess and her face creased from her pillow.

A slight breeze came in through her window. That was a little strange, she thought to herself, she hated sleeping with the window open.

As she stood on her bed to close it, she noticed a balloon tied in a neat bow around the post.

Purple. Her favorite colour.

But she could have sworn she had lost it last night on the Boardwalk.

"Conan." Her mother shouted up to her.

"Coming." She shouted back.

She shrugged to herself. Maybe she hadn't lost it after all.


	2. Returning

**This story has no Star or Emerson family. But there will be Laddie. Just letting you guys know. **

**Also my plan was to make this a Lost Boys/OC story, but now I'm not sure becasue I don't want Conan to seem like a slut.**

**The problem with that is choosing a Lost Boy for her. For me that task is impossible. THEY ARE ALL SO FRACKIN' HOT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PICK JUST ONE!**

**Anyway... The next chapter will have those sexy Vampires we love so much**

**I don't own, only Conan and this idea.**

**My apologies for any spelling/punctuation mistake I've probably made**

**ONWARDS!**

* * *

1987- Twelve years later.

The taxi stank.

Usually it was the smell of freshly vacuumed seats, of perhaps a bit of air freshener.

If you were unlucky, it was the smell of whoever had partied the night before and could no longer hold their drink in.

Instead, the whole car stank of the BO that was clearly radiating off the driver in waves.

Had this man never heard of the word shower?

Had this man never heard of the word deodorant?

Apparently not, I held my breath as he reached up a hand to run through his already greasy hair. Or at least what was left of it anyway. But even with the window open, I still got a waft.

A brightly coloured sign on the right side of the road indicated we were nearly at my destination.

Santa Carla.

Four years ago, my Mother had packed us a suitcase each and taken us to live with her Mother, or the Old Hag as I like to call her. The woman hated me. But the feeling was mutual.

Now I was finally returning to the one place I had actually enjoyed calling home.

My eyes stuck to the sign as we drove past it.

"Almost there." The smelly driver said in his gruff voice as if I was blind.

The back of the sign was covered in graffiti, but the words that captivated my attention the most, were the five sprayed along the bottom: _'MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.'_

My mind wondered back to the events of last night. The words my Mother had spoken.

_"You must always watch your back in Santa Carla honey. And trust no one. And for the love of God, don't make friends with any bad boys."_

In my haste to be free from the Old Hag, I had forgotten the walls covered in missing person posters. I had always wondered; if Santa Carla was home to an awful lot of runaways, then why couldn't the resident's of Santa Carla runaway? It is after all a free country.

Of course, I was only ten at the time I thought this.

When I had shared this thought with my half sister Shelly, she had called me a lot of names. After that I had never spoken my assumptions aloud again.

"Here we are." The driver announced. My head snapped back to the front of the car to find him looking back at me expectantly. "You need help with your bag?" I didn't for a moment believe he would actually vacate the car and retrieve my belongings even if I did say yes.

Instead I shook my head no and got out of the car.

My Dad's house loomed in front of me. It hadn't changed much. It still had the white picket fence and the flowers attempting to climb the house to my window, the porch swing hadn't gone either.

The only difference was that all these things looked uncared for. The fence was no longer white; instead the paint was peeling and cracked with a grey tinge where it wasn't dirty. The gate was broken and barely hanging on by its hinges. The flowers that were once so bright and full of promise were now dead and dull. The porch swing was tatty and filthy and probably didn't smell much better than my driver.

Retrieving my bag, I paid the man; I really could not wait for him to leave. That smell would probably be stuck up my nose for days. Without a backward glance I gave him my thanks and headed up the path towards the front door, noticing the swing seat was covered in comics. They were the only thing Shelly and I had in common. Although the only interest she had in them was stealing them, whereas I preferred to read them.

Suddenly the door was flung open to reveal my Father. His shirt was in disarray and his trousers were hanging loosely on his hips. But the smile on his face told me he was just as excited about today as I was.

"Happy Birthday Sweetie!" He shouted tugging me to him. I didn't bother to fight him. Instead I just wrapped my arms around him, memorising this moment. "Phew. Did someone forget to take a shower this morning?" He added jokingly as he looked at me at arm's length.

"My driver." I replied rolling my eyes.

"You had a good day so far?" He asked quickly changing the subject. Yes today was my birthday, and not just any birthday. Today I was eighteen. I had lived for this moment.

My teen years had majorly sucked so far and every time my birthday arrived, I promised myself the next year would be better.

But of course they hadn't been. Mainly because of the Old Hag. But also because of Alex the Ex. But I didn't want to think about him right now, or ever.

I had made a deal with my Grandmother that when this day arrived, I would leave her house for good. My Mom had reluctantly agreed but only the condition I came back to Santa Carla to live with Dad. I had readily complied. I hadn't wanted to leave in the first place.

At the crack of dawn this morning, the Old Hag had shaken me awake, gave me a pretty disgusting breakfast, let me say a rushed goodbye to my Mom and had thrown me out at seven AM. If my Mom hadn't been there, I'm pretty sure the Old Hag would be partying the week away.

"If having been pretty much kicked out of the Old Hag's house and having to sit in a taxi that reeked for however long that journey took can count as good, then I am having a freakin' good day so far". I finally answered sarcastically.

My Dad was now surveying my choice of outfit for today. I was wearing my purple tank top that fitted me snugly along with my faded black jeans and biker boots, my leather jacket was tied round my waist.

"You look so much like your Mother." He said looking a tad wistful. At the mention of my Mother, his eyes left mine to look around behind me like he was searching for someone. "Let's get you inside. You're probably exhausted." He added finally turning his gaze back to me. He slipped his arm round my shoulder as he picked up my bag and escorted me inside. It was just as I remember it. The walls of the hallway were still blue, and the shoes were still in a state of disarray against the wall on either side of the door. A few cobwebs were dangling from the ceiling, but apart from that it was like I'd never left.

"I have to get going to work. I booked this morning off to see you back home. You remember where your room is. Go catch up on your beauty sleep." I scoffed. _Baeuty sleep?_ There was also no way I was staying in the house all day. Don't get me wrong, I loved this house. But I loved the Boardwalk more. But judging by the look on my old man's face, he already knew my plans. "Well whatever you plan on doing, take a shower first, that driver really must have reeked. Oh and you don't have to worry about waking Shelly up, she's at Greg's." I hadn't been worried.

But I couldn't help the groan that left my mouth. Thankfully my Dad didn't hear it.

So Stinky Shelly still lived here? I had kind of hoped that she would have moved out by now, or perhaps been pushed off a cliff. But you can't have everything.

Before I could even open my mouth to reply, he kissed my forehead, grabbed his keys and left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

_Had the house always been this silent? _I thought to myself as I dragged my bag up the stairs with me.

I stopped just outside my room. My heart was racing with excitement as I reached for the handle. This room held so many memories for me. I had had my first kiss in here, made numerous forts with my Mom when I couldn't sleep, not to mention the amount of sleepovers I'd hosted. I pushed the door open in front of me, a smile taking over my face.

The first thing to be seen in my room was my photo wall. Every inch was covered in photos from my childhood up until I was fourteen. The eyes that followed you everywhere mainly belonged to my two best friends, Amy and Carter, but a few here and there were of my parents.

There was none of Shelly.

The rest of my room held my posters, book shelves, wardrobe and obviously bed. Throwing my bag across the floor, I picked up the phone that I could only help but hope Shelly hadn't used in my absence, and dialled a number. Even after four years, I still knew it off by heart.

After the third ring she picked up.

"Hello." Her voice sounded tired and bored, but another smile took over my face when I heard it.

"Amy. It's me."

"Conan? When did you get back?" Suddenly her voice was full of excitement.

"'Bout five minutes ago." I had called ahead last week to let her know I was coming home. "Meet you at the entrance at eight?" Our meet up point had always been the entrance to the Boardwalk. Just because we were older, didn't mean we had to change that. "Bring Carter." I added quickly. I hung up not bothering to wait for her reply. Our phone conversations had always been short and sweet.

Diving onto my bed, I made plans for what to do until eight. Unfortunately, I had forgotten just how comfortable this bed was and my eyes quickly drifted closed.

* * *

**Also a very quick thankyou to evryone who has reviewed/favourited/followed this story so far...**

**Love Always...**


	3. A first glimpse

**I don't own... only Conan and this idea...**

**Sorry for any spelling/punctuation mistakes I have made...**

**Thankyou to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed**

**TO THE BOARDWALK...**

* * *

I was currently stood under the Boardwalk entrance sign. Amy hadn't arrived yet so I knew I was early. Or right on time. Amy had never been good at being on time.

My hair was still a little damp from my shower which would more than likely go wavy as the night progressed, and I felt fresh in my clean clothes; a fresh purple tank top with black shorts that showed off my tanned legs. I had changed my bra to a black bikini top; the strap holding me in was tied securely round my neck. I still had my boots on though. I hardly went anywhere without them.

I watched the world go by. Or to be more specific, the people go by. Teenagers of all shapes and sizes walked past me dressed as punks, hippies, runaways the occasional parent with child or children would just be leaving.

Couples on dates, even a couple who appeared to be breaking up judging by the amount of shouting they were doing walked past.

The Surf Nazis all huddled into one big group walked past me at one point. I could hear the dirty laugh or to be more specific, the dirty cackle that belonged to Shelly rip through the air making a lot of heads turn towards them. I shrunk into the background hoping not to be noticed. I wasn't. The longer I could avoid Shelly and Greg, not to mention the other Surf Nazi jerks, the better.

My head turned to the right when I felt a tapping on my shoulder. She had finally arrived.

"Amy." I cried wrapping my arms around her and lifting her off the ground. But something felt strange. And it was only when I put her down that I noticed what it was; her chest had grown, significantly.

"Damn girl, what are these?" I held my hands out in front of them like I was about to grab them. She quickly captured my hands in hers mumbling something about finally growing out. When I had left, she had been as flat as an ironing board, now she had a couple of speed bumps sticking out in front of her.

Scratch that. She had a couple of mountains sticking out in front of her.

"I'm so glad you're here!" She squealed loudly now, abruptly changing the subject.

"So am I. You have no idea how glad." I looked around and noticed for the first time that she was by herself. "So are we waiting for Carter here, or meeting him somewhere else?" I asked politely.

"I didn't invite him." She answered looking down at the ground.

"What?!" I responded sharply letting her hands drop from mine where they fell limply back to her side. She seemed to be searching her mind for what to say.

"Well... I thought... you know... since it's your first night back in Santa Carla, it could just be a girl's night?" She shrugged her shoulders as if she wasn't that confident of what she had just told me.

I thought about it for a minute. Her face took on a pleading look as she waited for me to say something.

I could tell she was lying, I should know, I was the one who taught her how to lie. Don't get me wrong, honesty is the best policy, but sometimes a girl needed a night away from her parents, and everyone else that bothered her. Amy was no different and she had never been able to tell her parents anything but the truth. I had changed that, and sometimes I wondered if that had been the right thing to do. Now was one of those times.

"Ok." Her shoulders visibly relaxed. "But you're telling me the truth tomorrow." She hadn't been expecting that. But she nodded somewhat reluctantly as her shoulders tensed again.

"So what do you want to do first?" She asked me now changing the subject again.

I let a sly smile crawl onto my face.

"Not the carousel." She groans, but my smile just gets bigger. "Conan, we must have ridden the carousel about a thousand times as kids."

"But I've been away for four years. I have a lot of making up to do." I reply grabbing hold of her hand again and melt into the crowd, heading towards one of my favourite childhood memories. "Anyway, you used to love that ride." She grumbles something, but I don't hear it, and I don't bother asking her to repeat it. Instead I ask her to tell me everything that has happened in my absence.

If I hadn't been looking over my shoulder, I wouldn't have seen her pale slightly and her brown eyes glaze over a little. Had something bad happened?

As if she could feel my stare, she returned to her senses.

"Oh... nothing really." I came to an abrupt stop.

"Nothing really? Four years, and _nothing_ has _really_ happened?" I asked her my tone disbelieving

"Do you want to ride the carousel or not?" She asked now taking the lead as she dragged me towards the ride, changing the subject for the third time.

She had never been like this before. The brown eyed golden haired girl usually told me everything; the details of her first crush, the rather rude dream she had once had about Harrison Ford, everything.

But now with the way she was acting, it made me wonder if she had in fact told me everything. I vowed to myself then and there, that I would find out what had happened.

But not tonight, tonight, I wanted to have fun. I wanted to fell free. And the carousel had always been the perfect way to make me feel like that. And when we finally joined the line, I couldn't help the smile that took over my face.

* * *

We only had to wait about five minutes to get on. Those five minutes were spent in comfortable silence as I listened to the music. It was still the same music I remembered from my childhood. Amy was too busy looking around to start a conversation with. So I just let her be.

I noticed for the first time as I mounted the white horse that had always been a personal favourite of mine, that it was now completely night time. Had it really been that long since I'd been stood under the entrance sign? It certainly didn't feel like it.

The bell shrilled, letting us know the ride was about to begin.

Amy was busy babbling about something and I was busy pretending to listen. My temple rested against the golden post as I watched the lights around the ride begin to speed up a little.

"Was the music always this creepy?" Amy asked. She was leaning over to me now and she had spoken right into my ear, making sure that I heard her.

What was she talking about? I had always loved this music.

Admittedly, if you were a stranger to this place and you were by yourself, it probably would seem creepy, but not to me.

To me, this was familiar. It was a sound I had missed for four years. It didn't matter that I had ridden other carousels, and heard other carnival music, it was never the same.

Hearing this music again, I finally felt like I had arrived home. The carousel and the rest of the Boardwalk were the only things that appeared to not have changed.

I turned my head to answer her, but whatever I was going to say instantly left my mind. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Shelly sat next to Greg, in front of the other Surf Nazis that had passed me earlier.

But it was not Greg that currently occupied her attention. It was the platinum blonde male standing next to her.

I watched as she turned her whole body to face him when he placed a hand on her chin. Three other boys who were clearly with him, stood to the side watching as the other Surf Nazis watched along with them.

It wasn't until the first male had removed his gloved hand from my half sisters face did Greg react; leaning forward, he pushed his hand into Shelly's face forcing her backwards, with his other hand he grabbed the dark haired guys jacket, the platinum blonde having stepped out of reach. Unfazed by Greg the dark haired male merely shoves the hand away, only for it to grab hold again.

The other two blondes now get involved as well as the other Surf Nazis.

The platinum blonde takes a step forward, getting a secure hold on Greg's throat.

But the hold only lasts a few seconds. It is abruptly stopped when the security guard places his nightstick around the boy's throat, catching his Adam's apple against it.

What looked like something that was going to end in a pretty serious fight, was stopped as everyone looked over at the guard.

"I told you to stay off the Boardwalk." I can only just make out his words as the music continues.

The three boys in black, who I'm guessing were bikers, wait for what I assume is their 'leader' to say something, the boy in the colourful jacket biting his nails as the bell shrieks again, and the ride slows to a stop.

Everyone who has a view is watching waiting to see what will happen next; you could almost cut the anticipation with a knife.

I can no longer feel my right leg as Amy has a death grip on my thigh, her nails digging in a little.

The music too has stopped, so everyone within hearing distance hears the next words that are spoken.

"Ok boys let's go." He lets out a breath, holding onto the weapon around his throat, as he is finally released from it.

The four share a look. And it's a look that says they have a secret that they aren't planning on sharing anytime soon.

As three of the bikers head off the ride, the leader sends a smirk at the Surf Nazis before turning it onto the security guard.

Finally he takes a step backwards as the guard turns to my sister and her friends.

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my mouth as I noticed the looks on their faces.

Shelly and Greg look almost as if they are playing innocent, but the rest of the gang watch the bikers, almost daring them to get back on the platform.

"You too, off the Boardwalk." The guard adds sounding bored.

It was apparent that Shelly heard my laugh.

As her and the rest of the boys make their way of the ride, she turns and looks at me. Her face is blank, devoid of any emotion. I can only hope that mine is to.

But before she vanishes from sight, she whispers something to the boy in front of her, who in turn, looks back at me.

There was something about him, something that I recognised. But I couldn't place it. The clothes he's wearing make him look like a mess. But I'm guessing the only reason he's wearing them is because they show off his muscle.

A torn sleeveless shirt adorns the upper half of his body, his hair is messy and he looks like he needs a shave. But before I could even try to put a name to the face, he is gone, along with the other Surfers that think they own the Boardwalk.

The bell shrieks once more and the music starts up again. But not all of the offenders have left the platform.

As I turn my face back to meet Amy's gaze, I finally answer her question, the platinum blonde biker passes me just as I open my mouth.

"Yeah I guess it always was this creepy."

Hearing my answer, he turns back to look at me. The only colour that he has is the icy blue of his eyes and the blonde of his hair. Literally everything else is black.

But I don't have time to scrutinize his choice of wardrobe. I was too busy watching him watch me.

A small frown was etched on his brow, but it was gone in a second to be replaced with that smirk.

As soon as he broke the staring competition between us to look over at something off the ride, I felt it.

I was being watched.

As a child, I had grown used to this feeling. I had always thought it was just my Mom, Dad, or whoever I was with at the time, keeping an eye on me. Apparently I used to run off and disappear into the crowd sometimes. I was a curious child. I couldn't help that.

But my Mom had told me that there was one time, when I had talked to strangers. I remembered nothing of the sort.

Since I had hit puberty, I had become shy and more than a little reclusive; it just didn't seem like me at all.

But she insisted that was what had happened. I had taken her word for it and thought nothing more of it.

Now, as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up at the return of this feeling, I looked over to where the biker was looking.

The three boys that had previously been on the platform, surrounding my sister and her friends, were now surveying me. Why, I had no idea. But I found myself staring back.

There was no denying that all four of them were good looking, I wasn't blind and neither were a lot of the other girls on the carousel

But they didn't meet any of the passing girl's eyes. Instead they continued to walk and stare.

"Conan." Amy whispered to me now grabbing my attention. It had also grabbed blonde bikers too. He looked at me again, the smirk even bigger than before as Amy continued. "You ok?"

I didn't look back at her to meet her confused face. I watched as the biker grabbed hold of the pole and smoothly stepped off the ride as if he'd practiced it more than a hundred times.

"Yeah" I met her gaze now as the four bikers disappeared from sight as the ride turned. "I'm fine." I sent her a smile letting her know I was telling the truth. For a moment it looked like she wasn't going to let the matter drop, but I spoke before she could. "Really babe, I'm fine."

As the carousel was in view of the direction the bikers had headed off in, I couldn't help but notice; they had disappeared.

Surely no one can move that fast?

* * *

**A/N: Let me know your thoughts guys, your reviews really do make my day...**

**Scarlet has Fantasy Issues, my Fanfiction Sister, thankyou for believeing**

**:D  
3**


	4. Watching

**I want to apologise if my spelling/punctuation is worse. We have a new computer. It is windows 8, doesn't have Microsoft Word, I don't know the equivalent to Word on this computer, and my Dad won't buy it for this machine either. Please forgive me if it is dreadful.**

**Also I apologise for the really short chapter. I wasn't planning on doing it this way, but the other chapter I had written up, I just wasn't happy with. But a short chapter is better than nothing. Right?**

**I don't own, only Conan.**

* * *

It had to be her.

There was no way that it was anyone but her.

Four years had past since they had last laid eyes on her. She hadn't changed much over that time, but it was still somewhat of a shock.

When they had first noted her disappearance, they had worried. It was only natural for them as they had been keeping an eye on her over the twelve years they had watched her grow.

But noting that she hadn't appeared on any of the missing people walls, they felt a little safer. Of course, it had also helped when Paul had seduced her best friend into explaining the situation.

She had gone to live with her Grandmother. Apparently the news hadn't been taken too well by her, but it had happened anyway.

Now she was back.

From their spot beneath the Boardwalk sign, the four Bikers observed her. She was currently standing on the opposite side of the road, payphone clutched in her hand talking with her Mother.

She had certainly changed over the years,

Her hair was no longer blonde, instead it was light brown that under the right lighting, shone dark ginger.

She had also gained her Mothers freckles, but only a light sprinkling across her nose and under her eyes.

Paul had certainly noticed the fact that she had also grown out, in all the right places, as well as up. That fact didn't go unnoticed by the other three either.

If David hadn't recognised her eyes, they would certainly have recognised the way she spoke to Shelly.

From their observations of her, Conan was the only person willing to stand up to Shelly. That much had been made obvious that night twelve years ago.

She was now bidding her Mother goodnight and hanging up the phone as she eyed up the people at the Boardwalk entrance. They knew she would be looking for Amy. But what she didn't know was that Amy had already left the Boardwalk with someone. A surf Nazi whose name was something ridiculous.

Her eyes were darting left and right, between the Bikers and the Surf Nazis who had taken up the spot on the other side of the entrance. Shelly was busy making out with Greg and looking over to see if her half sibling was watching, while everyone else was eyeing the four Bikers with distaste.

The four 'brothers' heard a sigh, and turned back to the girl on the other side of the road. She had started to walk home. By herself. A dangerous decision.

Dwayne, Paul and Marko, were all thinking the same thing. They turned their heads to silently ask David.

The ice cold eyes of their leader was still stuck on the quickly retreating form of Conan as he nodded.

"Then we'll eat." He mumbled so only the other three could hear him.

Casting one last distasteful look at the Surfers, the four jumped onto their bikes. Paul already laughing as Marko pushed him a little.

They knew exactly who their meal would be tonight, but first they had something they had to do.


	5. Laughter?

**I know it's another short chapter and I'm sorry. But I got so fed up with re-writing this one that now that I am finally somewhat happy with it, I want to publish it before I change my mind and go crazy. **

**I don't own. Only Conan and any other OC'S. **

**Thankyou to everyone who reviewed/followed or favourite. I love you all.**

**:D**

* * *

It had cooled down considerably. The wind had picked up a few moments ago, bringing goose bumps to my skin wherever it was exposed.

Along with that, it had also bought the sounds of the Boardwalk. I could still hear the screams of thrill seekers and late night partiers.

But I could also hear the sounds of laughter. And this laughter sounded really close. It had only started a minute ago, and a minute ago, I had thought nothing of it.

Until something told me that it wasn't coming from the Boardwalk. It was far too loud to be coming from there.

The thought that it was just Shelly, Greg and the other assholes had briefly crossed my mind. But if it was them, they would have caught up by now. I knew they had seen me leave. So there was no reason why they wouldn't have run to catch up with me. They never missed an opportunity to bother me.

My boot lace was slowly but surely coming undone. I bent down to tie it up. I had had far too many embarrassing moments where I had tripped over them to even think about.

"Conan." A voice whispered. It didn't sound threatening. But that's not what worried me.

What worried me was that it sounded like it had come from above me.

As I slowly stood up, I took a cautious look around me, bracing myself if someone snuck up on me.

I did a full three hundred and sixty degree turn. But there was no one.

I heard laughter again and looked up.

Earlier the sky had been beautiful. Not a cloud in sight to hide the brightness of the moon.

But the wind had also bought a few clouds that were now scattered across the sky like some huge version of connect the dots.

No one there either.

"Of course there's no one there Conan." I scolded myself out loud. "Flying is impossib-"

I was cut off by another round of , It was definitely coming from above me.

It could have been a trick of the moon light, but at that moment I swear I could see a figure. Just casually laying across the cloud, swinging the leg that was dangling over the side back and forth. Looking down and watching me right back. Almost like they had all the time in the world.

It was just tiredness. It had to be.

I blinked and the figure was gone. The cloud was empty. And the laughter was back.

Had I really just seen someone sitting on a cloud?

I shook my head trying to empty my brain of these thoughts.

"I have got to get some sleep." I turned back in the direction of home and continued on my way. Ignoring the fact that the laughter seemed to be following me.

I briefly wondered what could be so funny. To still be laughing about whatever it was that had tickled them so much.

The light from the porch was in sight. I sped my pace up a little, taking my key out of my pocket ready for when I reached the door.

When I was in the safety of the hallway, I kicked my boots off and ran upstairs, not bothering to check if my Dad had returned home yet or turn the lights on.

I practically crashed through my bedroom door making it slam into the wall behind it and continued to the window.

I threw it open and leant out of it a little.

The wind had stopped, as if it had never existed. The laughter had died, and there was certainly no one sitting on clouds.

Shutting my door, and locking it in case Shelly bought Greg in with her (Yeah, it had got to the point where I had bought a lock many years ago, just so those two would not barge into my room uninvited), silently thanking anyone who was listening that the wall hadn't been dented, I changed.

In the summer, I only ever wore an oversized band t-shirt to bed. Tonight was no different. And tonight, the band that would keep me company, even if it was only in fabric form, was Guns 'N' Roses.

I shut the window again before slipping under the sheets and making myself comfortable, not even bothering to close the curtains. I slept so deeply sometimes that I didn't need to. And more often than not, I would wake up in the morning with the covers completely covering my head.

As my eyes began to drift closed, my thoughts turned back to what had happened on the carousel. Mainly those biker boys. And how I hadn't had any ice cream to celebrate my return.


	6. A job part 1

**I don't own, except for Conan. **

**Sorry for mistakes I have probably made and failed to correct.**

**Also it might take me a little longer to update with the next chapter. I apologise for the wait in advance.**

* * *

I was bored.

To the point where I was considering going to annoy Shelly just for something to do.

But she wasn't home. Thank God.

I had slept like a log last night and hadn't woken up until almost lunch time. Even then I was pretty sure the only reason I woke up was because I was hungry.

I had stuffed myself with delicious cheese toasties that I had made myself. Managing to not burn the kitchen down in the process. Something I had actually managed to do back at the Old Hag's house. Although that hadn't been an accident, I had done that on purpose.

My Dad wasn't home either. I hadn't seen him since I had arrived back here yesterday. It felt a little weird to not have spoken to him for that long. When I had been living with the Old Hag, I had managed to talk to him every day over the phone. If not every day, it was certainly every other day.

It made me feel a little lonely.

It did not help that Amy had been cold towards me last night. After the biker guys had left the carousel, she had hardly spoken a word to me. Now that I think about it, she only opened her mouth to tell me she would meet me later, back at the entrance. But by the time I had finished conversing with my Mom, I wanted nothing more than to go home.

Yes, I loved the Boardwalk, but the fact that my best friend was giving me the cold shoulder on my first night back, well, it kinda sucked. I had done nothing wrong. As far as I know anyway.

That was the reason I wasn't calling her right now. Or heading over to her house. She had never been like that before. So what had changed?

My bag was still packed. I could unpack that?

But unpacking my bag would only take five minutes. I wanted something to do that would take me longer than five minutes.

Maybe I needed a job?

Yeah. That's what I would do. Tonight, I would head down to the Boardwalk and get a job.

It would fill my free time, I'd be at the Boardwalk, and I'd be earning money. I could see no down side to this.

* * *

Turns out, getting a job in Santa Carla, was easier said than done.

I had been out since six looking for anywhere that looked like they might be hiring someone. Skipping out the places that didn't look legal. Which is unsurprisingly a lot of places.

The sun hadn't been down long and I was ashamed to say that I'd gone on the carousel a couple of times. Putting off the work of finding a job until later when more shops would be open.

I was now taking a casual stroll down the Boardwalk, letting people bump into me, not really caring. That's when I saw it. A comic book shop. Had this always been here? I don't remember this being here four years ago. But then again four years ago I was running all over the Boardwalk with my best friends not really taking in my surroundings. I had always wondered where my Dad had bought the comics from, seeing as he's where _I_ got them from. Sometimes, after a long day of being bored because it was raining or if I had a cold, my Dad would come home carrying a stack of comics, just for me. I had never bothered to ask where he got them from. It was part of the magic of my Dad. Now, I guess I finally knew.

I shrugged to myself. What was the harm of going in? Although I had spent my money on the carousel earlier, so I couldn't buy anything. There was no harm in looking.

'Laying down the law' was playing. Though from where I couldn't tell. And the shop seemed virtually empty.

Save from the two hippies behind the counter, even if they weren't conscious. An old black and white film was playing on the TV next to the man. It was a shame my Dad wasn't here now. He simply adored the black and white films. Probably knew all of them off by heart. He'd even made me sit and watch a few when I was little.

There were also two guys in here. And as I scanned the aisles of books, they seemed to be scanning me. Geez. It was no wonder there were no customers in here. It had nothing to do with the fact that the comics were in disarray. It was the fact that these two boys, who moments ago appeared to be stocking up the shelves, were now sending me death glares. The look on their faces told me they weren't happy with me being here. Or, maybe it was just that they didn't like my outfit.

As I rounded the corner, the older looking one, a red bandana tied round his head making him look like Rambo, began to follow me. The younger looking one wasn't far behind.

"You got a problem there guys?" I asked now. I had only been in here not even a minute and I was already fed up with them.

There was a pause as we all continued walking in the triangle formation. To an outsider, it might appear that the three of us had been friends for years. But I was an insider, and these guys were creeping me out.

"Just scoping your girly wardrobe." Rambo finally replied. _Girly?_ How the hell did I look girly? It wasn't like their wardrobe was any better. Rambo was currently sporting a grey shirt that quoted _"Why waltz when you can rock 'N' roll." _(Actually that was a pretty awesome shirt. I'd have to keep an eye out for that.) That was covered by an unbuttoned red and black checked shirt. The younger one? A green jumpsuit, white shirt underneath and dog tags round his neck.

"It's a tank top, shorts and my boots. It hardly constitutes as girly." I reply, maybe a little harshly.

"That's what a lot of fashion victims say." Younger one spoke up now. At this point, I was pretty sure they were just making this stuff up to intimidate me. Well, if that was there plan, it wasn't going to work.

"Look girl, if your looking for the diet frozen yoghurt bar, it went out of business last summer." We had come to a stop by the Superman section. The issues were all muddled up. I would be surprised if anyone could find anything in this place.

It was with a little reluctance that I opened my mouth. "Actually, do you have any Batman number fourteens?"

Rambo opened his mouth to say something then abruptly closed it. "What?" He asked instead.

"A Batman number fourteen. That's what I'm really looking for. My Dad used to have one but it got stolen."

"That's a very serious book girl."

"Only five in existence."

"I thought it was four?" I thought to myself a moment, watching as the younger one sneered at me. "No. I'm pretty sure it was four. Why would my Dad lie to me?" I turned my attention to the comics beside me. "I'm no comic book nerd or anything, but I don't really think you should mix up the issues." Instead of a reply, I was faced with snarling faces. "I mean, how is anyone supposed to find anything they want in here?" It was a genuine question. So I shocked when Rambo changed the subject completely.

"Are you new around here or something?" His voice was deep. And I suddenly realised that that probably wasn't his natural voice.

"Sort of?"

"_Sort of?_" The younger one repeated.

"I lived here when I was a kid, then when I was fourteen my Mom moved us away. Now I'm back." I shrugged like it was nothing. Rambo had moved away, but he was back quicker than you could say Krypton.

"Take this." He said handing me a comic as I looked over the younger one's shoulder. Shelly, Greg and the other assholes were there; laughing and loitering. Without even having to guess, I knew what they were there for. I guess this is also the place where Shelly stole her comics from.

I finally looked down at what Rambo had given me.

A comic, turquoise background with the heading '_Vampires Everywhere.' _plastered across the top of it, four vampires, one victim, and a couple of bats being the main focus of the cover.

"How much?" I asked casting another look at Shelly. They looked about ready to pounce.

"_How much?_ Is that all your going to say?" Rambo asked loosing that gruffness for a moment, I guess in shock.

"Well yeah. What did you think I was going to say?"

"We were leaning towards; _I don't like horror comics._" The younger one said never breaking eye contact with me.

"Well, I've never really tried them. So I wouldn't know." I shrugged again. "How much?"

"This one's on the house. Think of it as a welcome back present. We're sure you'll enjoy this one. It might even save your life." Rambo said as he shared a look with his brother.

"Look I really appreciate that, but I want to pay for it." I didn't want to mention the fact that I had no money on me at that moment.

"Why are you so eager to pay for it? We said it's on the house." Younger one spoke up, genuinely sounding curious. It was also the first time he had spoken to me without that sneer on his face.

"One. I like comic books. This is the only place round here where they sell them as far as I'm aware. It would be nice for it to stay open as long as possible." I inhaled a long breath. "And Two, my half sister and her gang of assholes are about to steal from your shop, and I already feel awful for it." The pair suddenly turned their attention from me to the door just as the assholes were grabbing their goodies.

"Hey!" Rambo shouted to them. Yeah, like that would stop them. Without hesitation, they both headed to the front of the store, where the Surf Nazis had vanished.

I just stood there and looked down at my comic. Maybe I would enjoy it.

I was just about to leave when I realised that the hippies weren't waking up anytime soon. What if a customer came in? What if the Surf Nazis came back? With a sigh, I headed towards the counter, and raised myself so I was sitting on it and opened the comic to the first page.

My half sister _had _stolen from them, and they had given me a comic that at this moment in time, was free.

Watching the store for them was the least I could do.


	7. A job part 2

**I lied about the wait. But I didn't know I was lying at the time.**

**I don't own. Only Conan.**

**Apologies for any spelling/ punctuation mistakes I have probably made.**

**Also I've read a lot of Fanfictions where the OC gets a job with Max. But I thought I'd be a little different.**

_**Sea Cloud **_**is the sign on the front of the reception desk when Lucy is talking to Sam on the phone.**

* * *

It took them a whole ten minutes to get back to the store. By which time, I had finished the comic and was once again, bored.

When they finally did arrive, they were out of breath, and needless to say, worn out.

"You two ok?" I asked as I jumped off the counter. Their heads snapped up at me from their positions of leaning forwards with their hands on their knees.

"What are you still doing here?" Rambo asked after a moment. His voice still gruff.

"Watching the store." I shrugged. "My half sister just stole from you guys, it was really the least I could do."I started walking towards the exit. "By the way. I'll swing by tomorrow to pick the comic up, I don't have any money on me at the moment." It was only as I re-entered the crowd that I heard them shouting their thanks to me. But by the way they said it, it made me think it wasn't something they said to everyone.

* * *

I had long given up on finding a job on the Boardwalk.

Luckily, there was a whole other road filled with shops. The view of the Boardwalk from here was amazing. The lights of the roller coasters stuck out from the pitch black of the night sky, and the moon shone brightly, reflecting on the ocean water.

It was a lot calmer over here. The place wasn't packed with thrill seeking teens, and the screams of those teens weren't the only noises to be heard. Over the speakers, I could faintly her a Tim Cappello song being played. Probably in preparation for tomorrow night when he would be playing a concert on the beach. God, how I had missed the concerts on the beach. They were always a highlight of Summer for me.

All the shops I had approached hadn't needed any new staff. But had suggested that I come back when the next semester of school had started. But I needed a job now. For the sake of my sanity.

_Max's Video Store. _It was one of my last hopes. The place was brightly lit, inviting everyone in. It was worth a shot.

I started just looking around the shop. Seeing what they had to offer. Spotting The Breakfast Club pretty quickly. How I loved that film. I might have to rent that one. If I ever got a job of course.

Something kept hitting my lower leg. It wasn't annoying, it was just felt like someone was trying to get my attention. Looking down, I realised I was right. A beautiful white German Shepherd dog was looking back up at me.

"Hey buddy." I knelt down next to him to give him some fuss. Dog's had always been a love of mine. Well actually any animal, except spiders. I was terrified of those.

"Conan?" A voice asked. I turned to look behind me.

"Maria?" There was no way it was anyone else. When my half sister was younger, she had been best friends with Maria Minter. To the point where I saw her pretty much every day, to the point where this was the girl that baby sat me when my parents went out for the evening.

"You're back." She stated simply with a big grin on her face.

"Yeah." I replied standing back up and leaning my elbows against the counter so my hips were sticking out behind me. "Finally." We both shared a giggle before we started to discuss the old times. The dog had taken a seat next to me on the floor, but watched the door like he was guarding it. It was only when he started growling, that Maria and I paused our conversation.

The four guys from the carousel had just swaggered into the store. Looking like they owned the place.

At the same time, a tall man with glasses, dressed in a pink shirt and black and white jacket took a spot behind the counter. Watching the four carefully as they practically took over the store. Everyone's attention had turned to them. It was either that, or they were suddenly extremely interested in the first video box they picked up, like it was a taboo for them to even be around these guys.

My attention though, focused on the dog, who had moved so he was sitting in front of me, taking the space between my legs and the counter, his head sticking out from between my slightly parted legs. He was practically sitting on my foot.

My eyes briefly looked over Maria's shoulders as the guy with the long blonde hair banged a video case on the counter behind her. He locked eyes with me for a second before he smirked to himself and carried on walking.

As they rounded the corner closest to us he spoke up. The leader going off in a totally different direction.

"We only came here to watch one thing." He stated with a flirty smile covering his face, he looked straight into her eyes before looking at me again. He slowly looked me up and down as the guy in the colourful jacket stood next to me, leaning back against the counter, ignoring the growling dog. He too, took his time to look me over. "Two things." The first blonde corrected himself as he gazed into my eyes once more. I rolled mine as they began to move on. The first blonde traced his hand along the small of my back as he walked past, letting it linger for a second too long, while the second one merely winked at me.

It was fairly common knowledge, that a lot of men here in Santa Carla, was only after one thing. And after that, 'Two things' guy had been added onto my list of men to avoid.

His hand had been freezing cold on my back. A sort of welcome relief from the Summer heat. Even if that was a small relief.

But the dark haired guy, took his time in moving away, he lingered for a second longer than his companions had, looking intently at me. If I had been any braver, I would have flipped him the bird. Why had these guys taken such a keen interest in me? It wasn't like I'd met them before. His hand had been on the counter, but I got the impression he had wanted to run his hand along my back too. He allowed a small smile to grace his face. It changed his whole demeanour. Before, he had looked _good. _They all did. But when he smiled, it could probably turn a girl to a pile of mush. (Not that he couldn't do that anyway.) If I hadn't been leaning against the counter, I would probably be one of those right now.

The four of them met back at the front of the store, standing in a line. They watched the tall guy's reaction, and judging by how tense his shoulders looked, he wasn't very happy they were in here.

"I told you not to come in here anymore." It sounded menacing to me. But they merely smirked, or gave him the serious face. They all took one last look in my direction, before they eventually stepped out of the store, heading for their bikes.

The man behind watched them for a moment, making sure they weren't coming back in before he turned to look at Maria. "Wild Kids." He rolled his eyes.

"Max, this is Conan. Do you remember I told you all about her when she left town?" I looked back at Maria. She had told this guy about me? What the hell for?

"Conan Cooper?" He asked me politely.

"The one and only." I replied a little sheepishly.

"Well, welcome back to Santa Carla." He offered me his hand over the counter. "I'm Max, and I see you've met my dog Thorn." I shook his hand as he indicated to the dog still sat between me and the counter.

"Yeah. He's a friendly one huh?" I asked leaning down a little to scratch his back.

"Not to everybody." He told me truthfully motioning behind him to the biker guys who were just driving off. "You have a kind nature. That's a rarity around these parts." He told me making me blush a little.

"I like to think my Mom raised me that way." I replied.

"Well, she did an excellent job." I beamed. "Well how may I help you this evening?" He spread his arms wide before clapping his hands together as if preparing for business. "We have it all, the best selection of video tapes in Santa Carla."

I shook my head a little. "Actually, I'm not looking for a tape. Ummmm. Well actually, I was- was- looking for a ummm."

"A job?" He cut me off politely as if he had known all along.

"Yeah. A job." I nodded looking down at my shoes feeling a little ashamed at myself. "Do you happen to need any new staff?" I asked looking back up at him.

"Sadly we have no current vacancies at the moment." He replied sounding professional, like he had said that same sentence a thousand times this week.

"Oh." I looked back down at my shoes.

"But." I looked back up again. "I do happen to know a man in need of a waitress."

"Really?" I asked. This was too good to be true.

"I'll go give him a call. Give me a moment. I'll be right back." With that he vanished out into the back room where he had appeared from a moment ago.

"Is he always that nice?" I asked Maria who had a smile on her face.

"Not to everybody." She repeated his words. "Do you know those guys?" She didn't have to elaborate, I knew exactly who she was talking about.

"No. I saw them last night, on the carousel, they were staring at me then as well. It's kind of creepy." As if sensing my unease, Thorn stood, placing his front paws on top of the counter next to me. I started to pet him absentmindedly as Maria continued.

"They're known as the Lost Boys." Here voice was getting lower making it necessary for me to move my head closer in order to her to hear her properly.

"The Lost Boys. As in Peter Pan?" She shrugged.

"I guess so. It's only known for them to come out at night. But when they do, everyone avoids them. They like to start trouble."

"Yeah, I saw that last night on the carousel. That guy with the mullet? Nabbed Shelly's attention away from Greg." I shook my head. "I wouldn't ever want to be on Greg's bad side." Having to grow up around that asshole, I had got used to him. But that still didn't mean, I wasn't afraid of him. I only acted that way. It bothered him that I was like that, and I knew it.

It was with a little hesitation that Maria asked her next question. "How is Shelly?" When my half sister had started dating that goon, she had grown distant from the beauty on the opposite side of the counter. Then dumped her like a bag of trash when Maria had spoken her thoughts to her.

"You're better off without her." I answered as Max re-entered the store again. She nodded as if understanding. But it still hurt her. And I could understand that.

"Well, he said if you could run up there now, he'll interview you when he gets the chance." Max informed me as he stood next to Maria.

"That's great. Where is it?" I asked enthusiastically.

"Have you heard of The Sea Cloud?" Had I heard of it? That was the restaurant my Dad had taken my to Mom on countless date nights. I nodded. "You know where it is?" I nodded again. "Well what are you waiting for? Run." He smiled.

"I really appreciate this. Thank you so much. If you ever need anything ask Maria to call me." I started backing away after giving Thorn one last scratch behind the ear. I turned and nearly barged into a guy just entering the store. "Excuse me, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" When he nodded I just turned and began to speed walk off.

"Good luck." The two people behind the counter shouted to me as I left, Thorn barked at me from the doorway. I would thank them later, after all, I hadn't even said bye to Maria. I would definitely have to pop by again.


	8. A Dance

**So I was really excited to write/publish thus chapter. But I just feel I could have done a better job of it.**

**What do you think?**

**Be honest. But please be gently about it.**

**I don't own, only Conan and my other OC'S.**

**Apologies for spelling/mistakes I have probably made. **

**Also... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX WINTER! **

**:D**

* * *

My Friday had started off pretty boring. I had kept my promise and visited the Frog Brothers to pay for the comic. But I hadn't stayed very long, they didn't exactly have the most welcoming demeanour.

I had hung around Max's Video Store, chatting to Maria for a while before the store got busy. On my way in, I had noticed a missing persons poster. Actually I had noticed many, but this particular one had caught my eye. _'Vernon Beasley' _The security guard from the carousel the other night had gone missing. There was no mistaking him, I'd recognise that moustache anywhere.

But now I was working. A tight fitting white blouse that was giving male customers an excuse to look at my chest, a mid thigh length black skirt, and a pinny, tied tightly round my waist to hold my pen and notepad was my current wardrobe. Not that it was my choice. The shoes on my feet were killing me. It was apparently required of waitresses to wear heels. Something I wasn't happy about, seeing as I had to creep into my parents room and find a pair my Mom had left behind. They only added three inches to my height, but God, did I hate them.

I had been here since two in the afternoon, and I wasn't due to finish until ten. Hopefully I would have enough time to catch the concert. But I wasn't getting my hopes up.

I was currently following around a boy around the same age as me. Aiden, he was nice enough, but it felt like he had been staring at my chest a lot more than the customers had. He was supposed to be teaching me everything I needed to know, and I had picked it all up pretty quickly, but he kept telling me that someone needed to watch me as I worked. I was certain it was so he could keep admiring my chest.

Whenever the door opened, letting in new customers, or letting the old one's out, I caught the faint sounds of a saxophone over the speakers, singing, and a crowd going wild. How I longed to be down there. I looked up at the clock. Ten minutes until I finished my shift. Luckily I had had the brilliant idea of bringing my tatty old converse and a change of clothes with me so I could join the concert afterwards.

"Conan." Mr Davis, my new boss called me over to his office. He shut the door behind him me as I entered. He was tall, but no where near as tall as Max, and was dressed in a suit. He made it look comfortable like he did it every day. His blonde hair was thinning on top and his smile was probably capable of making women's hearts flutter. He must have been really handsome in his youth. "You've done a great job today. Are you still willing to work the weeknight shifts?" He asked me now as he took his seat.

I nodded enthusiastically, this was the only decent job around here, and the pay was great. There was no way I was going to let it slip through my fingers if he wanted me to stay. He flashed me a smile that showed off all his perfect sparkling teeth.

"Great. Now go on and get to the concert." He told me before turning to some paper work on his desk.

"But I still have ten minutes." I was a little shocked that he was willing to let me leave early, especially on my first day.

"Conan." He began folding his arms across his chest. "You've been looking in the direction of the beach every five minutes. I know you're itching to go. Now go." He waved a hand dismissively at the door.

"This isn't a test is it?" I asked now beyond confused. He chuckled before he answered.

"No. I do remember what it's like to be young, it wasn't actually that long ago as hard as that is to believe. Now go, have a good time. But don't forget to change your clothes." He added as an after thought, re-turning to his work.

"Umm. Alright." I mumbled and left, tightening my ponytail as I went.

Truthfully, I was puzzled, there had to be a catch. But, I was excited that I was on my way to the concert, but I _did_ have to change first. In the staff room, were lockers. Mine currently contained my clothes and my shoes. It opened smoothly. But I couldn't say the same for the bag inside. I had found it in my closet. It was an old school messenger bag of mine that I had long ago forgotten about. Perfect for carrying clothes in. But now, as I stood trying to get the zipper to open, I remembered why I had stopped using it in the first place. It was jammed. And no matter how hard I pulled it wouldn't budge.

After a few more attempts, I gave up. Maybe Aiden could open it for me. But what if he couldn't? Then I would never get to the concert. I looked down at my clothes. Surely there was no harm in going like this. Minus the pinny of course. It wasn't like I was working tomorrow, and I had a washing machine at home. I slipped my converse on, my mind already made up and ran out of the staff entrance. I didn't stop till I made it to the beach.

* * *

"CONAN." Someone shouted my name, and somehow I had managed to hear it over volume of the music. Amy was calling to me. My mood dipped slightly. We hadn't spoken since the carousel. And a tiny part of me wanted to keep it that way. But I swallowed the feeling, and made my way over to her. Even from here I could see her scrutinizing my outfit, much like the Frog brothers had done the night before. "What are you wearing?" She asked me as I finally reached her. Her nose was scrunched up in disgust.

"My work clothes." I answered with a shrug. If she was going to be like that with me, then I could act like I cared less towards her.

"When did you get a job?" She laughed a little as if the concept of me being able to attain a job was ridiculous.

"Today." I informed her looking around at the crowd. "Did you bring Carter?" I asked her now, before she could say anything else.

"He's around here somewhere." She shrugged now, trying to avoid my gaze. I had been in her presence for less than two minutes, and I was already fed up with her.

"Whatever. I'm going to join the crowd." I told her and started to move backwards.

"Alright, But, hey, I'll meet you back here later ok?" She shouted to me as I turned round so I could walk forwards. I just gave her the thumbs up sign. There was no way I was meeting her after. She would probably have vanished by the time the gig was over.

I joined the crowd, pushing people a little to make my way through, apologising as I went. But no one paid me any attention as I made my way as close to the stage as I could.

When I had reached a point where it felt like I could get no further, I let the music take over. I started jumping up and down as Tim told us he still believed, clapping my hands as I went. I was nervous about my appearance, worried that people would get the wrong idea.

I don't know how long I had been jumping for, when I felt someone's hands on my waist. I thought it was just someone trying to get past, so I was a little surprised when they turned me round to face them. And the person who faced me, left me more than shocked.

The guy who had been leaning against the counter next to me last night in Max's store was stood before me. His colourful jacket hiding what looked like well toned arms.

One hand still on my waist, the other was up at his mouth where he appeared to be biting his nail. It hid the Cheshire cat grin that threatened to take over his face as he looked at me from head to toe and back up again slowly. There was a part of my mind that was screaming for me to run, but he had a firm hold of my waist and the sea of moving bodies surrounding us, ensured my stillness.

He looked into my eyes as he made his move. He moved the hand on my waist up to the back of my head, gently pulling the hairband out to let my hair fall loose. He threw it away into the air. Damn. That was one decent hairband I was never getting back.

Next, he un did a few buttons on my shirt, starting with the bottom one, he stopped after the third and tied the shirt ends together, his cold fingers kept brushing against my skin as he did so. Now my belly button was showing. Something I wasn't exactly comfortable with. But he must have felt my uneasiness. He smiled that Cheshire care grin again as he gently took my hands in his.

Without any warning, he started spinning us round, the music still playing as loud as ever. I couldn't help but smile as we created our own little circle where people had moved to get out of our way. I giggled as we got faster, but stopped when we slowly started to slow down. He placed a kiss on the back of both my hands before he spun me round so I could no longer see him. But he gently pushed me forward by my waist, into the guy in front of me.

It was 'Two Things' guy.

"Heey." He greeted me cheerfully, making me wonder if he was high. He checked my outfit, nodding appreciatively before he grabbed my hand and spun me round, the bottom of my skirt swayed a little, showing off more of my thighs. A sight no one needed to see. He, pulled me into him so my back was against his chest. He placed his hands on both of hips, making me move them from side to side, his hands exploring my tummy, not even caring about the beat of the song. I felt so ridiculous at this point that I could not control my giggling, causing him to smirk. He spun me to face him after a few more minutes, and kissed my cheek, before pushing me away from him. I blinked and he was gone.

I backed into what felt like a brick wall, but turned to find the dark haired guy watching me closely with that serious look that seemed to accompany him everywhere.

He grabbed my hands and started dancing the way I had just done with the previous guy. The difference was I was facing him, his hands stayed on my hips and he had wrapped my arms round his neck. He dipped me suddenly, my hair almost hitting the sand. I took a quick glance around to find that no one was watching us.

He pulled me back up just as I started laughing once more and lowered his head to kiss the cheek the previous guy hadn't. He stood back up straight and allowed that same small smile from yesterday to appear. I smiled back. But I blinked, and he to, was gone.

I looked around at the people surrounding me, those guys were no where in sight, and the fourth guy wasn't appearing from anywhere. I think my dance was over. And I couldn't help but feel a little sad about it.

I had felt happy and free while I was dancing with those guys, even if they were a little creepy, and I didn't know their names, and apparently they had a bit of a reputation around here.

But to me, at that moment, it hadn't mattered.

I started to jump up and down with the crowd again, no longer caring how I looked.


	9. Carter

**A quick update for you guys.** **I hope it's ok. Apologies for any spelling/ punctuation mistakes I've probably made and failed to correct.**

**Your reviews make me happy guys. Please keep them coming?**

**I don't own, only the OC's in this chapter.**

* * *

David waited until his brothers were out of sight to talk to the boy beside him. Laddie was an important part of their plan. If he did exactly as he was told, then nothing could go wrong.

"Now Laddie." He began as he crouched down next to the youngest member of his family. Laddie was the person he talked to the least out of his brothers. It wasn't because he disliked him, it was just that he never really knew how to handle children of Laddie's age.

"You remember what we discussed earlier?" Laddie nodded. David could sense fear from the boy, but his intentions were never bad towards him, he should know that by now. "You remember which one she is?"

"Darkish hair, pretty face, Conan." Laddie mumbled. It was only because of his advanced hearing that David heard his words.

"That's right. You remember what you have to do?"

"Act lost, and find you guys." David smirked at him. He sure was a bright child. If he had not drunk from the bottle, he would have gone on to do great things. Of that, David was sure.

"You got it. Be ready." He added as he stood back up. Laddie moved a little closer to him in order to avoid a group of people that were moving past them. As the boy got a view of the crowd again, he spotted Dwayne, Paul and Marko walking towards them. His face lit up at the sight of them.

"Ready Bud?" Paul asked him when he had finally reached them.

"Yeah." Laddie nodded enthusiastically. He truly was. Whoever this Conan girl was, she sure sounded great. But he had still yet to meet her. And tonight was his chance without his older brothers. Even if it was only for a little while.

* * *

I was getting far too hot for my liking. Ok, so getting hot and sweaty was part of the fun of being in a crowd, but if I didn't stop and get some refreshment soon, I would end up looking as slimy as Tim did on the stage. I had to shove my way through to escape the crowd, but it eventually thinned out. A couple standing here, a group of people over there.

I had to do a double take when I actually paid attention to the couple. It was Amy. She was standing with the guy I had recognised from the carousel that had been hanging with Shelly. I made my way closer to them. It was only now, this close to the guy, that I actually realised who it was.

His hair still a mess, his jaw covered in stubble, but I would recognise those grey eyes anywhere.

"Carter." I stated as I came to a stop beside them. Their conversation stopped immediately as they both turned towards me.

"Conan." He replied. His tone was less than welcoming. And it hurt. Even after all this time.

When I was Ten, Carter had been the new kid in school. The teacher had told him that he was to sit next to me and that I was supposed to help him catch up with whatever we were learning that semester. But he hadn't needed the help. Instead, we had bonded over a love of the same music, and flavour ice cream. We had become best friends pretty fast. To make things even better, Amy had got along with him great too.

But when I had turned teenager, I had started crushing on him. It wasn't the worst thing in the world to happen, but I sure hated the fact that I had an immense crush on one of my best friends.

For a while, the crush had been returned. For that while, I had been the happiest girl in Santa Carla. But a week before I left to go life with The Old Hag, he had informed me that he believed we would always be better as friends. And I had accepted that. Because surely it was better to have your crush in your life as just your friend, than not at all? But after a month of living away from Santa Carla, our communications had become less frequent. Because of this, I had believed that I was over him; my feelings moved onto another guy where I was living, and I thought of Carter in that way less and less.

But now as I stood before him, his muscles still on show, his t shirt stating : 'My Beach, My Wave.' I realised that I had not stopped crushing on this guy. The feelings had just lain dormant for the past four years.

His eyes, scanned me up and down, lingering on my exposed stomach as Amy's eyes darted between the pair of us.

"You look different." I spoke breaking the awkward silence that had descended between us.

"You still look good." He murmured in a low voice as if he didn't want Amy to hear. His eyes finally met mine again and they remained there for a moment before Amy spoke up.

"Conan has a job now." Her tone was laced with venom, for whatever reason I didn't know.

"You're a Surf Nazi." I ignored Amy completely and decided to change the subject. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

"You used to hate Surf Nazis." I only received a shrug in return. Apparently, he had lost a few brain cells while I was away. This was not the Carter I had left behind. The Carter I knew, always had an answer to everything. The Carter I knew, had a promising future. The Carter I knew did not stink of weed.

I had a sudden urge to be as far away from these two people as I could get. These two people who, in the past, were the reason I woke up happy in the morning.

"I need a drink." I started to walk backwards away from them, still staring into Carter's eyes. But something bumped into my legs, breaking me from my trance. I turned, and standing there was a boy, no older than ten, maybe eleven looking lost and worried. I crouched down to his level and gave him a gentle smile.

"You lost little one?" The words sounded familiar to me, but from where, I didn't know. He nodded in response and turned his gaze to the sand beneath our feet. "You got a name?" I asked politely.

"Dwayne says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." He mumbled to his chest.

"Well, my name's Conan. There. Now the only stranger here is you." He looked up at me now, his bright eyes slightly hidden by his curtain of hair.

"Laddie." He responded.

"That's a great name. It's a pleasure to meet you Laddie." I held out my hand for him to shake. He took it gently and with a little hesitation. "Are you lost?" I asked again.

"I can't find my brothers." He told me now. I couldn't help it, his sadness at not being able to find his brothers held me captivated.

"You want me to help you find them?" I brushed the hair away from his eyes and tucked it behind his ears. He nodded shyly and took the hand I had offered him. This time, without any hesitation.

"Do you mind if we stop to get a drink?" I asked looking down at him. He shook his head and lead the way towards a shop that sold cold beverages. It was like he knew this place like the back of his hand.

As we made our way further away from the crowd, I turned my head to look back at Carter and Amy. Their conversation had continued, like I had never interrupted it. My heart sank a little more, but why, I didn't know.


	10. Searching- Sort of

**Terribly sorry for the delay. Better late than never though Aye? I knew what I wanted to happen at the end of this chapter, but wasn't sure how to start it. So I hope it's ok.**

**Please forgive me for any spelling/ Punctuation mistakes I have probably made and failed to correct.**

**I don't own. Only my OC's.**

* * *

He had been sighted every now and again with the boys that everyone avoided. It was rare to see him with anyone else, it was why a few people were moving out of their way as they walked past. The girl always sent them curious looks whenever this occurred, but her attention was quickly stolen by the child again.

But a few new comers to the Boardwalk smiled at his animated form, believing that the two were in fact brother and sister.

* * *

If it wasn't for the fact that every now and then Laddie looked around at the people surrounding us, I would have been sure that he wasn't actually so keen on finding his brothers. For the past, however long we had been walking around for, he had not been able to find them. But he seemed more than happy to be holding my hand and telling me stories about his brothers.

The two of us were currently sat on the stairs that led down towards the beach, and thanks to some spare money I had kept in my bra, eating ice cream. My first since coming back to Santa Carla. I was a little more than relieved to find that it hadn't changed at all. It was still as delicious as it had been when I was a kid.

No words passed between us for a while. We were just happy to eat our frozen treats. Or in Laddie's case get most of it around his mouth, and somehow on his right eyebrow.

We giggled as I wiped his face. It was at this point I realised, I was happy he had bumped into my legs. If it hadn't have been for Laddie, I would probably be walking home right now, wondering what the hell Amy's problem was. But the little guy beside me, kept my mind occupied.

"So squirt, are we actually going to find your brothers now?" I asked as I threw our trash away and took his offered hand again. He nodded but looked a little sad at the thought. "No need to look so sad little one. If it's me you wanna see more often, I'm here most nights." I said with confidence, throwing him a wink. His face lit up again, as did mine as a soft breeze blew across us causing me to shiver.

My shirt was still tied up, and it was probably a logical idea to put it back to normal. But there was a part of me that just didn't have the heart. It felt like if I put it back to normal, it would feel like that dance had never happened.

His grip on my hand only got tighter as we made our way towards the entrance of the Boardwalk making me wonder if he had known all along that this would be the place to find his brothers. We had after all, been avoiding this part of the Boardwalk ever since we started looking.

We passed the Surf Nazis, who started calling out to me, asking who my boyfriend was, I of course ignored them and the urge to flip them the bird. A kissing couple only a few feet away from them, who looked as if they were actually licking each others tonsils, and a few people who just seemed to be milling around the area.

The carnival music was quickly drowned out by another song. "Beauty Has Her Way" was playing softly in the background. Great, now that song would be stuck in my head all night.

"Dwayne!" Laddie's voice shouted from next me. His hand escaped mine before I could say anything. I watched as he walked quickly over towards four bikes.

And on those four bikes?

The four guys from the Carousel, the Video Store and the concert were all there. It hadn't dawned on me that the guy with the mullet hadn't danced with me. Until now. Instead of wondering who the hell these people were, my mind could only think of one question: Was there something wrong with me, for him to not want to dance with me?

I shook my head of that thought and watched as Laddie was helped up onto a bike to sit behind the dark haired guy. The other three were already watching me. The leader with a cigarette dangling from his lips that were in the form of a smirk. The other two merely looked curious, as if they wondered what I was going to do next. The dark haired guy looked up now that Laddie was safely situated behind him.

Being this close to them, caused a flame of recognition to ignite in me. And it wasn't just from having seen them the past few times.

I took a deep breath, attempted to find my courage and went to take a step towards them when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up to find the owner. Shelly. _Eugh._ Her arm was now draped across my shoulder and her hand kept me bolted to the ground.

"Conan." She acknowledged me with a sickly sweet voice and an obviously fake smile.

"Shelly. You're touching me." I folded my arms across my chest, forgetting about the handsome guys that were still watching me. "I don't like it when you touch me. I don't know where you've been." I made a point of flicking my gaze behind her at Greg. I really didn't want to know where she her hand had been when it came him.

"I have something to show you." She managed to ignore my comment, but only just. I had seen that smile flicker. That was more than enough to make me smirk.

"What?" I asked, hoping I sounded bored.

With the arm she had around me, she turned me slightly and pointed her free hand towards the kissing couple. Her bangles jingling as she did.

"What about 'em?" She really knew how to get on my nerves.

"Look closer." She whispered in my ear. She let go and stepped backwards out of sight, I assumed to stand with Greg.

I should not have listened her. Something in my mind was telling me not to.

I shouldn't have listened to her when I was ten, and she told me that a monster lived under my bed and crawled out from underneath when I fell asleep. I didn't sleep in my room for two weeks.

I shouldn't have listened to her when I was five and she told me the dead Gold Fish my Dad had flushed down the toilet would swim back up and bite my behind if I sat down on the seat. Every time I sat down, I had a terrible fear that that was exactly what would happen.

I shouldn't have listened to her now, as I looked closer at the couple.

The guys hair was a mess, and wasn't getting any better from the hands that raked through it now. His jaw was covered in stubble, and his muscles were on show.

The girls chest was pressed incredibly close to they guys. It was a chest that had been pressed into mine, only a few days ago.

I swallowed and literally felt the colour drain from my face.

"Hey Carter." Shelly shouted from behind me. It wasn't a shout of greeting, it was a shout of _'Look at us, we're over here.'_

At the sound of his name, he turned. His lips were so swollen from the rushed make out session, I could see them clearly from this distance. They both panted a little as their gaze settled on me.

Carter had the decency to look a little shocked. His eyes widened slightly, and as he looked from me to shelly to Amy, he looked a little panicky.

I could feel the tears working their way up, but I took another deep breath and willed them back down.

As I turned away from the scene, I held my head high. Unfortunately, I couldn't control the speed my feet walked at. But I didn't run. I would save that for when I was out of sight. The tears too.

"CONAN." Carter shouted behind me as if his voice would make me stop.

I only walked faster as the tears were threatening to fall any second now.

But I would not give them the satisfaction.

Not now. Not ever.

* * *

**So tell me.**

**What do you want to happen next?**

**Leave me your thoughts?**

**LOVE YOU!**


	11. An Argument

**Ok, so this chapter is a little shorter than I had anticipated. And there are no sexy Lost Boys in it. But I'm hoping you will forgive me when I tell you that if all goes to plan, those vampires that we love will be here again very soon. (Next Chapter.) Maybe. :D**

**I'm sorry for any spelling/punctuation mistakes I have probably made and failed to correct.**

**I only own my OC's. **

**Please review?**

* * *

"CONAN!" That same voice that had been following me since I had left the Boardwalk was beginning to get closer.

I hadn't been running that long, but I was already worn out.

As soon as I had realised that Carter was following me, I had quickened my pace. To the point where I was now running. There was only a slight part of me that was thankful that I was no where near Shelly by that point.

"Conan." A hand grabbed hold of my forearm now, stopping me in my tracks. The voice sounded somewhat relieved, not to mention out of breath. "Wait." As if I really had any other choice. He had always had a tight hold. But I had never been on the receiving end of his grip _this _tight before. It would bruise for sure. "You run really fast." He panted. "You know that?" It sounded like he was trying to break the tension. It wouldn't work.

"Look, Conan, what happened back there-" But I cut him off.

"How long has that been going on?" The question had not entered my thoughts, making me curious as to why I had uttered it. But now that the words had spilled past my lips, I found myself wanting, more than anything, to know the answer.

Carter, looked down at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. A sign of nervousness. I guess some habits stayed the same. My voice darkened when he still failed to respond.

"How. Long?" I repeated. Now he looked up, meeting my gaze.

"Five years." He mumbled. Did I just hear him right? _Five years? _But that would have meant-

"You were with her the same time you were with me?" I whispered. I don't know where my courage had gone, but without it, I felt deflated. Like the purple balloon I still had from my sixth birthday that my Mom had gotten me that was now sitting in a shoebox of memories, old and wrinkled.

Now I could no longer help it. I could feel the tears just pooling together, waiting for me to blink and let them fall. He gave a brief nod and looked back at the ground.

If I was honest with myself, if Alex the Ex hadn't treated me the same way that Carter had today: a strong grip and a rough attitude, if I hadn't walked in Alex the Ex him sleeping with the one girl I had actually managed to make friends with in my Grandmothers hometown, I probably would have taken this _a lot _worse. But that didn't mean I wasn't seriously pissed off now. It just made me feel more prepared. At any other moment, that statement would not have made any sense. But right then, it did.

"How long have you liked her for?" It probably wasn't a good idea to ask that question, but I needed to know. It was clear he hadn't expected me to ask that.

"Since I first met her." His tone was monotonous. As if he had thought about that sentence so many times, he was now bored of hearing it.

"So, why did you say you liked me? Why did you get my hopes up? Because you know something? It fucking _sucks _to be told those things by the guy that you like, and for them to not be real. It fucking _sucks _that I'm only finding out about you and her now." My voice had been steadily rising, and I was now shouting. But I wasn't finished. "You know what else fucking _sucks _Carter? The fact that I had to find out from my half-sister. One of the people I loathe the most on this planet."

"I'm sorry." He told me, shrugging a shoulder, like the topic was pretty much nothing. Which, to him, I guess it was. But he hadn't been left in the dark for four years. Scratch that. _Five _years.

"Oh you're sorry?" I snatched my arm out of his surprisingly relaxed grip. "Is that supposed to make everything better?"

Before I had left four years ago, my Dad had always told me that he was afraid to stand too close to me whenever we were talking. It was because I did what he called 'Speaking Italian.' I would make wild gestures with my hands, no matter what it was I was talking about. But before he had mentioned it, I had never noticed it.

I was certainly noticing it now though. I was flinging my hands around like there was no tomorrow. I also didn't fail to notice that Carter had taken a precautionary step backwards.

"Well, it's a start?" He sounded hopeful, and I couldn't help but laugh. It was humour less, not to mention pointless. But I did it anyway.

I desperately wanted to go home. But I had one more thing to say.

"You wanna know something else?" I asked him, my voice back to normal. Or almost. It was a little scratched from the shouting tirade I had just completed.

"What?" He asked. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking more like the Carter I had known all those years ago.

"If you had just told me, back then, the way you felt about Amy." I paused to look him dead in the eye. Hoping this would hurt him as much as I was hurting now. "I would have just stepped aside." His face, that had been full of worry for God knows what reason, became emotionless. His shoulders slumped with what I hoped was realisation that he could have avoided this pain.

Feeling somewhat satisfied, I turned and started walking away. Leaving him spluttering and calling my name. But, again, I did not look back.

I undid my shirt to the way it was supposed to be when a sudden gust of wind picked up from seemingly no where, causing goose bumps to arise all over me.

I tuned out the boy who I was now determined to get over. After all, he was not the Carter I had fallen for.


End file.
